Ling wan sin sang

In my country every movie with Ching-Ying Lam as the main character it is bound to be title as a sequel to Mr.Vampire and honestly it a good thing cause it not a proper Jiangshi/Exorcism movie without the man,the legend Master Gau himself.My memory is quite bad to be honest so despite knowing I have watched this movie before cause there so many scenes in the movie that makes me feel nostalgic like the boiled ghost chase scene but at the same time I glad that I got a bad memory so I can rewatch these kind of movies and still feel fresh all the time

I'm surprised by the relative obscurity of this film, as it easily matches the first of the series for pure entertainment value. There doesn't even seem to be a Hong Kong DVD of this title at the time of writing. Since there were more sequels to come in this franchise, it seems safe to guess that it wasn't a box office flop, so the lack of DVD is strange. Maybe they are going to treat us to a box set. The film is the usual combination of martial arts, horror, fantasy, sorcery and slapstick. Lam Ching-Ying is awesome, yet again. He pulls off the serious elements with conviction, even with stupid fake eyebrows plastered on his forehead; and he does the slapstick with a great deadpan expression. A shame his fighting skills are under used, but there are a few really sweet moves by him in this flick. I would say that the horror and violence are definitely stronger in this one, which is cool by me. The plot is decent; the cast pretty good; action is almost relentless, and the effects have that unique charm that CGI could never match. The comedy is the usual hit and miss affair, although a lot of it is genuinely funny, and well choreographed. You wouldn't be watching a Hong Kong horror vampire kung fu flick if you didn't put your face in your palm a couple of times at the cheesy gags. I don't have much in depth to say about this one, it just seems that critical comment is thin on the ground, so I thought I'd add my voice. Highly recommended; and if you like films of this type: essential. Bring on the DVD.

After having just sat through the 1985 and 1986 movies, I got around to watching the 1987 movie "Ling Wan Sin Sang" (aka "Mr. Vampire Part 3"), and thus watching them back to back. And having been sufficiently entertained by the previous two movies, I did harbor some expectations to director Ricky Lau's 1987 third movie.

The storyline in this third movie is once again set to take place in ancient China, for better or worse. Writers Wing-Keung Lo and Cheuk-Hon Szeto opted to tone down on the comedy elements that were abundant in the 1986 second movie, and that made for a somewhat more enjoyable viewing experience. The storyline, however, was pretty straight forward, but not overly outstanding.

Once again there are returning cast members from the previous two movies, with the likes of Ching-Ying Lam, Billy Lau and Chau-Sang Lau. "Ling Wan Sin Sang" also have the likes of Richard Ng, Corey Yuen and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung on the cast list, making it quite some talents on the screen. And it certainly was nice to see Richard Ng in the movie, because he brought a lot of comedy to the scenes.

At least this third movie was pretty much in the spirit of the previous two movies, so it was a fair enough movie to sit through.

The effects in "Ling Wan Sin Sang" are quite an improvement in comparison to the 1985 and 1986 movies, making it all the more enjoyable to watch.

My rating of director Ricky Lau's 1987 movie "Ling Wan Sin Sang" lands on a five out of ten stars.

Again, the Mr. Vampire series takes another turn with this installment. Rather than vampires as the evil force (as in the first two films), the Taoist priest (Lam Ching-Ying) must take on three demons.

Nothing is really brought from the "Mr. Vampire" film, apart from maybe Lam Ching-Ying's character, (whether he is supposed to be the same actual man is never explained), but it doesn't really matter. The fantasy and horror elements in this film are great.

It has great comedy and great action sequences. The use of the magical and superstitious ideas are fascinating. And the Taoist priest rituals are very entertaining. The fight sequences have that typical chaotic Honk Kong cinema feel, but the continuity is fine and it holds up well to this day - it's sense of humour definitely helps.

It's much better than the second one, and for my tastes, as good as the first but in a different sense - it is not as accessible and requires that you be a least a little familiar with the background of the series, (however shallow that may be).

Skip the second one and treat this as the REAL sequel, I say.

April 2021

Mr Vampire 3 is one of my personal 3 favourites out of the Mr Vampire type films along with Mr Vampire 4 and Musical Vampire.

I do really love all these films, hopping vampires, comedy, horror and action, this one has the added bonus of starring Richard Ng, so plenty of comedy here.

Absolute must watch

10 out of 10.